Fiat Makes an Electric 500, But It Really Doesn’t Want To

LOS ANGELES, California – We’ve got a soft spot for the Fiat 500. Its retrolicious looks and nearly square stance make it both a looker and a driver, albeit a rather underpowered one with its standard 101-hp, 1.4-liter engine. But the 500’s compact dimensions blend city car size and hatchback functionality into a package that’s more usable than the awful Smart ForTwo at a fraction of the cost of the more plush Mini Cooper. And like both of its competitors, the 500 has gone electric, but only to appease California’s zero-emissions vehicle mandate.

That’s right, the Fiat 500E unveiled at the Los Angeles Auto Show is strictly a “compliance vehicle” – a car with the express purpose of meeting a requirement for all automakers selling their wares in California. But that doesn’t mean that Fiat (and by extension, Chrysler, which is now owned by the Italians) didn’t learn a few things about making an EV in the process. And for an infinitesimal fraction of the California population, the 500E makes a compelling case for itself.

In place of that asthmatic little four-banger, Fiat has swapped in an electric motor good for 111 hp and 147 lb-ft of torque, with power provided by a brace of lithium-ion batteries that tack on an additional 600 pounds of weight. Despite the extra tonnage, the 500E will run from a standstill to 60 mph in around 9 seconds – or about 3 seconds faster than its dino juice-powered sibling.

Fiat is claiming a projected range of between 80 and 100 miles per charge, with the Bosch/Samsung-supplied batteries able to topped off in around 4 hours with a 240-volt outlet, or an achingly long 22 hours if you’re plugging it in next to your toaster’s 110-volt line.

To set the 500E apart from its non-electric brethren, the exterior gets new front and rear bumpers, 15-inch wheels, tweaked mirrors and a rear spoiler that reduces drag by 13 percent, while a new 7-inch touchscreen embedded in the dash provides charge and range data, incorporated into the navigation system.

Fiat hasn’t announced pricing for the California-only 500E, but something in the ballpark of $35,000 before any state or federal tax incentives is a safe bet. But even with that high sticker, Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne admits that the automaker will lose money on every 500E it produces – as much as $10,000 per car.